Their Secret
by Obviously I'm not Original
Summary: Kakashi is on a mission. Just what are the village secrets? What role doe his team play apart in it? Well, the answer he was seeking wasn't the one he ever expected.
1. Kakashi's POV 1

"What—?! Why do I have to be paired up with Naruto?!"

"Sweet! I'm on the same team as Sakura! It sucks that I'm stuck with duck-butt..."

"What did you say about my precious Sasuke?!"

"..."

These are the shouts that rang though out the classroom of the Ninja Academy. Of course, everyone knew how much Sakura loved Sasuke but hated Naruto and how Naruto loved Sakura but hated Sasuke while Sasuke hated them both. Sadly enough, everyone knew it was going to be disaster when their teacher placed them all on the same team. Some laughed while others shook their heads in pity at whoever their new instructor was going to be. So, while everyone slowly left with their new teachers and their old teacher made his way to the Hokage, the three sat spread out in the empty room giving the illusion of being irritated, waiting on their late teacher, while sending unspoken messages to each other.

A tap on a desk.

 _He's late._

Crossing of feet.

 _Two hours is passed._

A loud groan.

 _We could've been outta here by now._

"Hey, I have an idea!"

"Naruto, could you be a little less loud? Why can't you be like Sasuke?"

"..."

A quick run to the chalkboard.

 _I wish this were a bomb._

A small raise on an eyebrow.

 _Don't kill our instructor just yet._

A flip of hair.

 _He'll deserve it._

While two members watched as their teammate place an eraser on top of the door, outside a cat yawned. Less then a minute later their new instructor stuck his head inside, glaring down at the three demons he was supposed to teach. Declaring his hatred to them for the eraser incident, he sent them to the roof silently calculating their profiles. A prankster, a fan-girl, and an avenger. Life hated him just as he hated them, so he gave them test. He watched as the prankster fell into the most obvious of traps, the fan-girl pass out from the death of her beloved, and the avenger not give two shits about either of the two. He felt sorry, as he tied the prankster to wooden pole—but not about giving them a second chance. He never thought, that they would break the simplest rule he gave as he watched them from tree. He smiled slightly, maybe his views will change? Taking a deep breath before jumping out he decided—maybe it was time for one.

"Woo! We passed! I'm now an official ninja!"

 _We can legally kill someone now._

"Hey, Sasuke—since we passed do you want to go on a date with me?"

 _Don't get carried away._

"No."

 _We can make an exception._

"Hey, hey, I'll go on one with you!"

 _A fat one!_

"Ew, no thanks."

A _re you crazy?_

"..."

 _Midnight._

* * *

To say he knew his team was an understatement. He didn't seem to know them at all. After a mission outside of the village, he noticed that everything they did or said was always some type of coded message that only existed between the tree of them. He went through their files, questioned their peers, and even asked other teachers if they ever came cross each other besides the time in the academy. All of which, were the same answers. Naruto loved Sakura but hated Sasuke. Sakura loved Sasuke but hated Naruto. Sasuke hated them both. He tried to decode one of their conversations while he watched them pick weeds from a yard one day, but even after all of his ANBU training on hidden messages, he couldn't figure out what they were saying.

He watched as Sakura flipped her hair from doing laundry, soon after Naruto smacked the fence he was painting, and then Sasuke let out an almost silent huff as he planted a flower. However, he noticed while every hidden message had a pattern, theirs had none at all, making it impossible. He expected Sakura to do something with her hair again, but to his surprise, she shook a shirt hard making it seem she was getting rid of wrinkles. He glanced over to Naruto quickly as he heard three small taps and a confused look at the fence making it look as if he was missing a spot. He turned his attention to Sasuke who rubbed his hands, looking like he was removing dirt, and a shift of feet.

The problem was, all of these messages looked as if they were simply doing a mission but it always followed an order: Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke. Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke. Always in this order, but they threw him off a few times. He could see the three of them glance at him while he flipped pages in his book, but he wasn't expecting the order to be thrown off. He nearly placed his book down on another mission when suddenly the pattern changed to: Sasuke, Naruto, Sasuke. Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto. They knew he had caught on. He silently cursed as now, each pattern was never the same has it once had been. Fed up with their secret code, he questioned them directly the next day. The answers he got wasn't the denial he was expecting. He was expecting finger points and accusations, but all he got were smirks and a twinkle of the eyes.

"Oh, so you figured it out?"

"Good job Sensei! Looks like we can trust you."

"Trust would be too big of a word, what about 'accept'?"

"Yes, we accept you."

He soon learned that even their normal conversations out loud were coded. Drawing a frustrated breath after that days training, he walked to the academy to pay a visit to their old teacher.

Iruka had just dismissed his class for lunch when he had walked in. He took in the confused look on the academy teacher's face, lazily making his way to a desk.

"Kakashi, why are you here?"

"I have a question about my team..." he muttered after a while. He nearly smiled looking at a paper that had scribbled handwriting. He heard Iruka shuffle around some papers.

"What kind?" he asked then added. "Did Naruto pull a prank on you?"

He scoffed. Pranks were the least of his worries. "How did my team act while they were in the academy?"

He turned around as Iruka blinked. "Like they always have. Naruto likes—"

He waved his hand irritably. "That's not what I mean." He walked towards the teacher. "I mean, have they ever sent coded messages to make it seem like everyday actions are normal, but have a hidden meaning?"

Iruka quickly looked around, startling him by his actions. He was about to question them, when the old teacher spoke up. "Underneath the underneath." Words he had told his team right after he passed them. Apparently, Iruka knew but wasn't allowed to say—that made his situation more complicated.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **O.I.N.O**


	2. Sakura's POV 1

_They have known each other for years—before the academy. She was only 6 when she met them. The two small figures hunched over a mauled body; blood covering their hands, guts piled around their feet. She wanted to scream—shout for help but what kept her frozen were the twin smiles directed towards her._ _ **Oh no.**_ _She thinks—what she next? One of them stepped towards her, his arm outstretched. From beneath the blood she could make out a golden skin tone. In the sunlight, his hair was golden, but he reeked of death. The one next to her was chewing on a chunk of skin—she could hear how his teeth gnawed on the flesh, before swallowing it whole; he had pale skin with black hair—he smirked._ _ **What is this?**_ _She thinks. It was the middle of the day—in the forest no less. A beautiful scenery with lush green grass and trees as tall as the sky. She only wanted to take a walk...to pick some wild flowers for her mother in the hospital. Only now, she changed her mind._ _ **I wanna go home...**_

 _"You're pretty." It was a voice in front of her that jumped her out of her thoughts. She couldn't move. Why? Why couldn't she turn and run away?! The boy with the blonde hair asked for her name. Name? What was her name? She couldn't remember. She looked down at her feet. Pink. Her hair was pink—that's right. Her name was—_

 _"Sakura." she answered._

 _"That's a pretty name." the blonde answered again. "My name is Naruto and this is Sasuke." he pointed to the black haired boy next to him. She shifted her gaze over to him. He was bending over to pick up another piece of flesh. "What are you doing out here?" she looked back towards the blonde._

 _"I...I was gonna pick flowers for my mother..." she answered. Why were they having a normal conversation when the two boys stood over a dead body?_

 _The one named Sasuke stood up with his flesh, gnawing on another part. "What's a mother?" he asked. "Is it tasty?"_

 _She looked at him in horror as he bit into gristle. She could hear the crunch coming from his mouth—the thought that he asked if he could eat her mother rattled her. "No!" she shouted. "Mothers are the people who raise you!" She stomped her foot childishly. Why was she arguing with boys who eat other people?_

 _She watched as Naruto scratched his head, blood coating one spot. "Oh, we don't have one of those."_

 _"Then who raised you?" she questioned—wondering who would leave their children out in the forest. They couldn't be any older than her. She watched as the two shrugged their shoulders—hey didn't have a mother. Odd, she thought everyone had a mother._

 _"We've been out here for a while." The blonde announced kicking the body's skull. She winced when she heard the sickening **crack** of the bones connecting the neck and shoulders. "I think we got lost—but I don't remember." he shrugged once more. ' _

_She went to reply but her stomach let out a large **growl.** She blushed. Was she supposed to be blushing? Shouldn't she be running—screaming for help? She rubbed her stomach shyly and looked at the pale hand extended towards her. He was holding out a chuck of flesh—ribbons of blood seeping from the part. _

_"Eat." He commanded._

 _Her stomach stopped growling for a moment only to lurch at the thought. What would her mother say about her eating a human? She tossed the thought aside when her stomach let out another grumble. Shivering slightly, she took the flesh nearly gasping at how warm it still was. Swallowing her nervousness and the brief voice in her head that screamed ' **no'** —she took a bite..._

"Ugh, it's about time you're awake!"

She glared at the offending voice that shouted loudly in her ears and she sat up—rubbing her eyes. "Naruto, can you be a little less loud?" There were no hidden messages at the moment. Her head was pounding, she had an annoying blonde to the left of her, and on top of that she had a feeling her day was going to be hell. To put it simple—she was pissed.

"Sorry," Naruto dragged out the word while rolling up his bed roll. " but our no good of a teacher is telling us we need to leave before first sunlight." He secured the rest of his pack inside of a scroll, then walked over to her and Sasuke; assisting them. Growling, she asked (demanded) her teammates to finish packing the camp and marched outside. She saw her teacher lazing around the dying fire—the ridiculous orange book in his right hand. She wanted to kill him; but instead she smiled sickly and sweet.

Kakashi took notice after turning a page. "Ah, Sakura what can I assist you with?" The book closed with a snap.

She shifted her foot in a shy manner. "Sensei, I think my monthly has started—and I didn't bring any, um..." she let her words die, hoping he would get the hint. In truth, she was hungry and had a distant feeling that the to inside the tent had already hunted. She watched as he nearly dropped his book and waved her off into the woods after giving her a spare pair of under-shorts. She apologized running off while hearing him shout at her teammates. Knowing the two of them, they left a small trail for her to follow her next meal. Ducking under a hollowed out tree, she looked at the creature lying beneath the soft moss.

Deer.

She hated the animal—well not the animal per-say, but the meat. It wasn't something she enjoyed; she loved the soft meat of a hunted human—the fat was nice enough to keep warm in winter and bones always made the best of household items. Animals however, she hated how tough the meat is when she bites into flesh. Fur was _always_ everywhere and _always_ left a trail—the bones were something she often left to the wild...never to be thought about again. Glaring at the mutilated animal, she grabbed a thigh and bit into it.

* * *

Getting what she wanted never posed a problem. Getting this 'team bonding' over with was something on a wish list that would never happen. She was currently sitting with Team 10 over a hot grill of pork belly and vegetables. She glanced at her teacher who was in deep conversation with the other and she signed heavily. Her team took notice quickly—she could feel the gaze of Kakashi as well—she took a bite of rice.

 _I want this to be over._

Naruto coughed on his drink catching the scolds of the female form the other team. Why was he one to be scolded if she made the comment?

 _You?! My ear is gonna fall off!_

She took a sip of tea commenting on the food. She hated the food.

 _Fake sickness._

Naruto rolled his eyes.

 _As if. Who would buy that?_

Sasuke placed his chopsticks down and patted his mouth with a napkin.

 _If you make it decent enough, could be possible._

She went to move again but several claps from her teacher drew the attention of both teams. "That's enough you three." he stated. She could feel the questions from the team across from them and inwardly cursed. Kakashi was getting better at decoding their hidden messages. Beside her, Naruto huffed and crossed his arms while Sasuke picked up his fork. Kakashi glared at the two of them as they childishly made a face; she smiled and tapped the table—Kakashi rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to Team 10's teacher. It helped to know small communications with their teacher—but not all.

Never all.

"Excuse me." She sighed again looking at the blonde female across from her. "What the hell was that?" A commonly asked question for their team.

She made a confused look on her face. Was it working? She hoped it was. "I thought all teams had secret messages?"

Ino huffed and crossed her arms. "We all do, but it's universal—y'know the taps on the hand type thing? Whatever you guys just did, looked like normal actions." Sasuke elbowed and blinked at Naruto—Naruto leaned forward—she and the next team caught the action. "See?! What the hell does that mean?!" Ino pointed. She knew she had to be careful of the words they choose—across from them, sat a teacher they didn't know and a genius with a high IQ.

"Sasuke asked Naruto to pass some of the grilled vegetables." Kakashi answered as Naruto picked up the tongs. She knew he only guessed the action, but it wasn't far from the truth. Naruto just went along with it.

"That doesn't make sense. It just looked like..." Chouji trailed off while Shikamaru picked up his finished sentence.

"...something normal."

She could see the gears turning inside of Team 10's heads. Deciding to not reply, she placed her napkin onto her plate; her teammates did the same. She and her teammates went to stand up, but Kakashi picked up his glass and they quickly sat down. They knew that signal— _make a move to leave and training will be hell for the next month._

She looked as the teacher for team 10, Asuma, laughed. "Whatever you taught them, it's great! Even I can't decode it!" She knew there was more—he just wasn't saying. "I saw they were going to leave, but I have no idea what you said!"

"I said I would make their training hell if they leave." Kakashi sat his glass down, reaching for a slice of pork belly.

"You're like the laziest person I know—next to me..." Shikamaru commented. " how could you make their training intense?" Even she knew the image didn't match.

"He threw us into an abyss once to learn chakra control." She heard Naruto say. She looked at the, now, pale faces at the team across from her. It really wasn't all that bad...they only left with a few broken bones!

"Oh, remember when that giant snake ate you?" she decided to join in—can't get any worse than this so why not make the best of it? "you smelled like guts for weeks!"

"Hey! It's not as bad as Sasuke getting thrown in with a cage of hungry tigers!"

She laughed and softly heard the questioned methods of their teacher. This was how it's supposed to be—laughs of comrades...a free meal—sadly grilled meat wasn't what she wanted to eat for dinner.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **O.I.N.O**


	3. Sasuke's POV 1

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* * *

 _I refuse._

A huff came out of a mouth.

 _Swallow your pride and eat the damn meat._

A click of the tongue.

 _No._

A piece of hair was pulled.

 _If we had to, then you have to._

A crossing of arms followed.

 _No._

Suddenly, a foot was stomped upon his and before he could shout out any obscenities, the piece of revolting meat was shoved into his mouth. He glared the harshest glare at his teacher who was holding his mouth shut. The taste of the lightly cooked muscle coated his tongue and he bit back the urge to gag—he hated it. In the back of his mind as he swallowed the met whole, he knew his teammates were just as repulsed as he was. They were currently on an escort mission with what he called a 'tag-along' team. Team 8 was by no means a comfortable team to be around—hell, team 10 was more comfortable than them. Kiba had the nose of a bloodhound, giving him no way to go out and hunt for him and his teammates—not to mention Shino had those damn bugs that could track his every movement—and don't even get him started on Hinata.

"Dude, if you don't like the meat, then find some rabbit or something else."

He turned his glare towards Kiba. Oh, how he could wish he could hunt right now—nothing was better then putting a wild beast in their place. Luckily, his teammate saved him.

"Don't worry about Sasuke-kun." Sakura waved then clasped her hands together dreamily. "He believes in animal rights—he's a vegetarian."

Naruto snorted.

 _Vegetarian my ass._

"I don't need you to tell everyone." He growled towards Sakura, but it was directed at Naruto. The hidden message was clear. _Shut up...both of you._

Naruto rolled his eyes looking back at his meal. He noticed how the blonde poked around the meat, slowly eating the berries and wild mushrooms—Sakura as well. Last week they had grilled pork-belly—after their teacher left, the three of them immediately emptied their stomachs in favor for warm blood and supple flesh. He also begun to notice how their teacher had picked up on their eating habits; how they hunted for wild plants, berries, and fruit rather then wild animal meat. He remembered when Kakashi asked them this one day and Naruto answered clearly. "Even though animals are a good feast, nothing can compare to the meat of Konoha."

It was clear Kakashi was confused then—and even now as he dumped his meat portion into his teammates' bowls, he could feel the confused look his teacher was giving them.

"Why'd you give them that?" Kiba complained. He watched as the wild member of team 8 reached over and plucked the meat out of Naruto's and Sakura's bowls. "If you didn't want it, you could have given it to me." he noticed how they looked almost grateful to hand Kiba the rest of their portions without complaints.

He took a bite of his wild vegetables, mentally turning his nose up in disgust when Kiba stuffed his face with the extra portions. _What a savage._ Naruto laughed loudly, waving away a question directed towards his random action.

* * *

The mission overall was relevantly short, and both teams were returning to their home before sunset. He nearly sighed in relief when he saw the gates approach with every step, however that was short lived when Kiba bounced his way over to Naruto.

"Hey, Naruto!" He watched as Kiba threw his around around his teammate. "How about you and me grab some ramen?"

He didn't need to glance over towards Naruto—his discomfort waves were rolling out towards him in heaves. He watched as Naruto scratched the back of his head lightly. "Sorry, I promised Sasuke-teme that I would be his training partner for a genjutsu." The message was clear: _Say one word and I'll strangle you._

As if sensing the message, Kiba glanced towards him—giving him a once over before turning back to the blonde. "You wanna hang out with this guy rather then me? What gives?"

He watched as Naruto give the male a light glare. "Kiba, if I'm gonna be Hokage, then I need to train! I have to defeat that bastard, believe it!" At the end of that note, Naruto pumped his fist into the air startling Kiba. He watched at the other male shake his head in mock-belief as Naruto rambled on about wills and so on. Glancing to see if their teacher was watching, he lightly rubbed the bridge of his nose.

 _Should we eat later?_

He watched as Sakura giggled at something Hinata said and tugged on her hair.

 _Yes, please...I'm dying over here._

He nearly snorted but instead, he kicked a rock.

 _You didn't have a piece of cooked meat shoved down your throat._

He watched as Hinata bent down to grab a stray flower—Sakura blinked twice.

 _Okay, vegetarian-san—don't insult the animal that was killed._

This time he did snort.

 _You can do without then._

Sakura sighed.

 _I'll ask Naruto to hunt for me._

He was quick to notice Naruto had caught on to the conversation and he rolled his eyes.

 _Don't drag me into this._

 _Dragging I will, I don't want to starve._

 _Says the chick who ate her own father._

 _Excuse me your highness, but I didn't hear a word from you who ate a guy that looked like a green monster._

 _That green monster was delicious, thank you._

He watched as Sakura shivered.

 _That green monster was disturbing; always talking about 'THE POWER OF YOUTH!'_

He glanced at Naruto who was currently walking backwards.

 _Couldn't be as bad as Sasuke._

He shot a quick glare at the blonde.

 _And what did I do?_

He watched as the blonde stumble and turned to face the right way.

 _You ate someone who looks like you._

 _And?_

 _That's like eating yourself._

 _I hope the skies strike you down with a bolt!_

 _Guys, calm down—_

Their conversation was cut short when Kakashi snapped his fingers several times making the two teams look at him. He watched at their teacher looked directly at them. "We're arrived—Team 8 can go on ahead, I'll hand in the report later. My team...you three need to stay back." He could almost feel the complaints coming upon his tongue, but a sharp glare from his teacher had him re-thinking.

However, that didn't stop Naruto from voicing: "Are we in trouble?"

He watched as Kakashi's eye slowly turn into a tense up-ward shape. "Not at all." _You guys are in a world of trouble._

He could hear Sakura swallow and Kiba slapped Naruto on the shoulder before waving. "Good luck to you guys!"

"Hey! You could bail me out!" Naruto shouted at the retreating team.

"Can't dude, you wanna help Sasuke train."

He could her the silent curses Naruto was spitting inside his head as they watched the other team walk off. Sighing silently, he, Naruto and Sakura followed their teacher to a wooded area just outside the gates—he knew they were in over their head when Kakashi turned to face them his face void of any emotion, looking a each and one of them closely. He could hear Sakura shift her feet around and Naruto spitting out a few curses here and there. He was expecting Kakashi hound them about their messages and how to pay attention to the surroundings, however he wasn't expecting the sliver haired teacher to take a deep breath and ask:

"Care to explain?"

He could feel the smirk creeping upon his face and glanced at Naruto and Sakura who's faces slowly morphed into a dark smile. Kakashi finally knew—time to recruit a new member.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **O.I.N.O**


	4. Naruto's POV 1

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* * *

He was excited to say the least. He knew this was something he and his teammates would enjoy — possibly more than the thrill of the hunt. Shivers ran down his spine and he unconsciously licked his lips. He could smell the confusion coming from Kakashi and the primal smell from Sasuke and Sakura. He nearly chuckled at himself. Should he be worried? He doubted it, after all, if one reject their habits then nothing ever ended well for them. He could remember their last meal of sorts and his mouth watered just thinking about it. The tanned flesh was delightful in in the sunlight while brown eyes looked on lifelessly into the sky. He was given a hunt, no doubt, but with two other members begging for a few taste after grilled pork belly, nothing wouldn't taste better then that hunt. He remembered the begging for rationality — that he was their old teacher! Oh, the thought of that! He had never taught them anything useful... so while Sasuke had thrown the kunai into the back of his head; he had licked his lips. This earned him a questioned glace from Kakashi.

"Naruto, quick scaring him." Sakura hissed at him as she bounced off one tree onto the next.

He gave her a look. "I'm just remembering past hunts."

"You mean the one from a few weeks ago?" The question came from Sasuke, who ducked under a branch.

He nodded. "I think he was my favorite," He unconsciously licked his lips again. "too bad that he was just one." He could feel the questioned gaze of their teacher who followed closely behind them. For a few moments they jumped tree to tree, wondering further and further from the main gates until he stopped on a thick branch—enough for all of them, however Kakashi maintained his distance. His teammates fell beside him, turning to face their teacher who was analyzing them carefully. "Before we continue on, do you have any questions Sensei? Once we get to the ground, you aren't allowed to ask anything." He stated this in a monotone voice—unfitting for something of his character.

He watched as Kakashi shifted then cross his arms. "I want you three to tell me what is going on." He almost chuckled at the authoritative tone Kakashi was using. How amusing.

"That depends Sensei," Sakura said in a sing-song-like voice. He shook his head towards her; it was unbecoming to play with food before on the ground—however, it was always fun to rile them up, so he ignored it. "There are many things going on..for example how Wind country is planning a war—"

He could feel the question of upcoming war on the tip of Kakashi's tongue, but instead the teacher asked: "What were you three talking about on the way here?"

He looked over as Sasuke shrugged. "If I remember correctly, Kiba was asking Naruto—"

He almost laughed as Kakashi uncrossed his arms and stuffed his fists inside his pocket. He knew that Kakashi knew, that they were playing with him. "That's not what I'm talking about." Kakashi hissed and Sasuke's smirk turned sinister.

"Tell us Sensei, do you know of a man called Gai?" He decided to ask, watching as his teacher nodded slowly. "We heard he's been missing for a few weeks now. Can't have a ninja like him just randomly go rouge...what do you think happened?"

He and his teammates watched as Kakashi processed the question before looking at them. "If you know something about his disappearance, why tell me and not the Hokage?"

This time, he did laugh, clutching onto Sakura's shoulder to hold himself upon the tree. He could feel her shoulders shake with small giggles and to the right of him, he heard Sasuke's small scoff. He knew Kakashi was waiting for the reply and after a few seconds, he wiped a tear away from his eye. "That's a great question!" he bellowed out, small giggles following after. "The Hokage sent us out to him."

"I don't understand." Kakashi muttered out.

Sakura stopped her chuckles after Kakashi let out the statement; she stepped forward. "What do you know about the children of the village?" she asked changing the subject while looking at their teacher up and down.

He watched as Kakashi thought about the question. "Well, they are the future."

Sakura crossed her arms forming an 'X' shape with them. "Sorry, try again."

He watched as Kakashi seemed to stumble over the remark, thinking about the answer once more. Finally seeing Kakashi come up with nothing, he jumped over towards his teacher smiling hungrily at the musky smell the older let off. He could feel his mouth water with the taste of lean fat and muscle meat, but he shook of hunger only to smile blindingly at Kakashi, throwing the man off. He let out a few 'tsk's, eyeing Kakashi up and down before jumping back towards his teammates. He could hear the rapid heartbeat of male, if not that, then the deep swallow that echoed around them. He knew his teacher was on guard, hell, one would be insane to drop it at that point — without knowing the three animals in front of them. In the past, their meals were nothing but child's play — each to their own ability to hunt for each other. It was later on into the years, that they enjoyed the thrill of hunting rather then the reward. Blinking out of his thoughts, he saw Sasuke shake his head — he sighed.

"I don't understand." Kakashi finally said again after a while.

He knew that Kakashi wouldn't — he reached up and scratched the back of his head. A common gesture for him and well known between him and his teammates. He voiced his thoughts towards them. "Should we wait?" It was upsetting really... he didn't want to wait. He wanted to settle the gnawing feeling in his side but instead, he looked at his teammates.

Sakura let out a huff. "Did we travel all this way only to answer questions?" She crossed her arms glaring at him intently. "Whether you like it or not, I want him to know."

Sasuke gave her a look. "It's not up for you to decide."

He watched as she stomped her foot childishly. "Why can't it be? We're always the ones taking the orders."

He finally decided to wave of Sasuke's retort to her argument — both of them falling silent as he continued to watch Kakashi. After a few moments of silent staring at the older male, he sighed loudly. He seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. "We should wait."

* * *

"Are you serious? You can't be serious."

He ignored the harsh whispers that filled his ears as he tore flesh from their current hunt. They had followed Kakashi to the village gates, only to sprint off in different directions for their base. In the process, he hunted for all of them, having the lifeless body thrown over his shoulder when he arrived. They were currently sitting under the canopy of trees eating on the body, as Sakura lectured him.

"We were in a tight situation." Sasuke muttered out at her lecture. "I don't think the Hokage would be very happy if we told one of his top ninja."

"I don't think any of the instructors would be very pleased to know that us 12 are part of an experiment." She muttered. "It's bad enough we have to get rid of the ones that find out about it."

He placed a bone down looking over at Sakura. He was sharing her pain of having to at two instructors they looked up to dearly. "It's not like we have a choice."

He almost flinched when she jumped up. Sasuke just stared at them both. "We do have a choice, Naruto!" she finally shouted. "We don't have to be part of this—"

"Don't forget your place." He hissed. "You walked into us all those years ago and you accepted your fate when you took that flesh from us."

"I didn't know what I was getting into!" Sakura screamed. "For all I know, you and Sasuke could've been set there as a trap!"

He barked out a laugh making Sasuke jump. He narrowed his eyes at her. "We all were hand chosen by Danzo — each to a different part. Sadly, we got cannibals — so excuse me if our meals doesn't fit to your expectations." he spat, throwing a rib bone at her. Sakura glared at the bone she caught, before sitting back down. He knew she was just as upset as he was and while Sasuke sat silently eating his part of the body; his appetite was gone. Sasuke voiced his concern—he shook his head. He knew they weren't the only ones who silently knew the deep secrets of the village but nothing was ever voiced. They all knew and yet no one did — they all were part of this sick game.

"Naruto."

He looked as his voice was called. Sakura was drawing shapes into the night sky with his rib bone while another hung from her mouth. "What is it?" he was tired and wanted all of it to end.

"I'm sorry I shouted at you." She placed the bone down, shifting to place her head on Sasuke's chest. He noticed that Sasuke had moved to lay upon the grass. He moved around the last remaining parts of the body to place his head on her stomach. Together from the sky, they looked like a pattern overlapping each other.

He closed his eyes. "I forgive you."

It was silent as they each stared off into the sky until Sasuke finally voiced: "This village is screwed up."

He let out a soft chuckle. There was no doubt about that.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **O.I.N.O**


	5. Kakashi's POV 2

**All the thanks in the world to my Beta: The God's Eye. You're super awesome!**

 **Also, thanks for all the reviews, faves, alerts, and all that good stuff.**

 **This chapter is a bit shorter then the rest, mainly because I have a small block going on. If there's any ideas you would like to present, feel free to say them. (Yes this is re-uploaded)**

* * *

As he left the Hokage's office, he immediately ran to his apartment.

There was something wrong... something off about this village.

He bolted his door shut; throwing his gear in a near corner he stripped from his mission clothes and jumped into a shower. It was in the back of his mind and on the tip of his tongue, yet he couldn't place the feeling as he scrubbed his body. A chill ran throughout him despite the hot water.

What happened to Gai?

What did his team have to do with him?

He tipped his head back to remove soap from his hair. His team looked — hellish... Not only that, but Team 8, 9, and 10, had something that only each other knew — yet no one knew. He paused his scrubbing. Team 10 seemed surprised that his team had a hidden code, yet they were the ones with the twitchy fingers and nervous glances. Team 8 seemed comfortable enough but didn't sleep the entire time they were outside the village. He leaned forward to turn off the tap, only to stand in the shower, staring hard at the dripping water. If his team had hidden messages — what did the others have? There was something deeper to this, but what? He knew it wouldn't be long before he asked to learn their codes. Finally stepping out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around himself and opened his bathroom door — only to close it quickly.

"Whoa! So that's what he looks like without a mask!"

"Are you serious?!"

"All's fair, now pay me."

"You cheated and you know it."

Was he so wrapped into his thoughts that he didn't hear — nor detect — his trespassing team into his apartment?

No, it wasn't that.

His team knew far more then what they let on. A knock was heard on the door.

"Sensei, we need to talk." It was the voice of his blonde teammate.

Letting out a light sigh, he slightly opened the door. "Do you guys mind?" He was slightly unnerved that his team had seen him near-naked.

"Not really, you have the same thing as Sasuke and Naruto."

He shivered. He didn't even want to know if Sakura was who she let on. Hell, he didn't know if his team were actually his team. Was he being tested in some way? Deciding that it wasn't worth staying naked in his bathroom, he opened the door fully to walk to his room — his team following closely behind him. They talked about something or another while he pulled on house clothes—so much for relaxation...Finally sitting on his bed, he watched as Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura sat on the floor. It looked as if they showered and came right to his house after. Deciding to get it over sooner rather then later, he looked at each of them.

"What do you guys need?" he asked.

Naruto was the first to answer. "We want to teach you the ways of our people."

He blinked confused as Sakura punched the blonde in the arm. "What this idiot means is he wants you to learn our silent messages."

Ah. That made more sense to him—but something was off. "Why?" he questioned.

"Because you're special." Sasuke answered.

It was this he was confused at—how was he special? Of course, he was an instructor, forced against his will but what was his team getting at? He waited for one of them to elaborate, but it was silent in his small room as they stared at him. Was this the start of it? "I don't understand." He finally stated after a few more silent moments.

"Well, the first lesson is who you're talking to!" Naruto said loudly, avoiding his statement.

It looks as if he would have to wait once more.

* * *

"Have you noticed that there is something off with my team?"

He looked at the teacher of Team 8. They were having a monthly gathering—sitting around a small table in his house having drinks.

"Your team? I think there is something wrong with all of our teams." Kurenai muttered over her cup. "My team members are insomniacs! When we're on a mission, they jump at the slightest sound."

"Don't feel bad, so does mine." Asuma nodded.

He nodded his head along with their agreements. He also noticed his team twitching at every sound. They were also overly cautious of his movements. He decided to voice this thought with the others sitting around him. He watched as Kurenai jumped up and pointed at him. It was obvious she had been drinking more then needed for the night.

"Yeah! Mine does that too!" She sat down after noticing her random jump. "It's like they're constantly being watched or something."

He nodded in agreement once more. " I don't think that's the only thing we have to worry about. They are also cautious of the Hokage."

"Danzo?" Asuma questioned re-filling his glass. "Why would they do that? Everyone looks up to him."

He shook his head. "My team is the least happy to see him when we report in." He didn't add the part where he was told Danzo knew their silent conversations — it made him think, but he decided not to voice his thoughts on this one. Instead he watched as the others slowly slip into their own thoughts. " I questioned Iruka about this...now that I think about it. It was when we first became a team."

The other two looked at him. "What did he say?" the female voiced.

He shook his head in disappointment. "He said to look underneath the underneath—does that mean our teams aren't who we think they are?" If that was the case, he would have to pay a visit to Iruka once more.

"So if they're not who we think they are, then who are they?" Asuma asked reaching over to grab his cigarettes.

He watched as the other male lit the white and brown end, before an idea jumped into his head. He slapped his thigh as if it were the answer — the other two looked at him. "We follow them."

Asuma and Kurenai blinked. "We could do that..." Kurenai said slowly. "...but how would we know if our team is the only team that's acting odd?"  
Damn. He didn't think about that.

"What about Gai's team?" Asuma asked after a monetary silence. "If his team is the same as ours, then we could go and question Iruka once more — maybe then we'll get some answers."

He leaned back in his seat after re-filling his glass. "That's the thing...my team asked if I knew Gai — but they didn't elaborate on anything else." Almost as if they were hinting at something. He took a long sip from his drink. Nothing added up to him — or even the others for that matter. He slowly started to make a mental list of clues.

 _1\. Iruka knew but wasn't allowed to say;_  
 _2\. His team (and the others) were very cautious of their surroundings, him, and the Hokage;_  
 _3\. They only ate meat if forced to;_  
 _4\. Each team had a different code for communicating;_

He snapped his fingers earning looks from the other two. He sat his cup down and told them his mental notes.

It all lead them to the same conclusion: "They _are_ being watched."

However with the conclusion came the questions—leading them back to the first step.

So much for progress...

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **O.I.N.O**


	6. Story BREAK! Gai's POV

**Thanks for all the faves, reviews, and all that good stuff.**

 **Also, here's the long awaited chapter of a victim's POV. Thanks for the suggestions!**

 **I'm welcome to all ideas!**

* * *

There was one thing that Might Gai was commonly mistaken as; a fool.

He had been called many names throughout his ninja career. Fool, dumb ass, stupid, oblivious—but blind was not one of them. If anything, he could smell bullshit better then his eternal rival, it was when he was leaving the Hokage's office he noticed the emotionless expressions his rival's team held as they approached him. Keeping note of this in the back of his mind, he smiled.

"HELLO MY ETERNAL RIVAL'S TEAM!" he announced in his boisterous voice.

"Hey, Gai-sensei!" Naruto all but shouted.

Gai nearly stumbled over his feet. Unusual...he was usually called something more offensive—and towards his eyebrows no less. He added it to the back of his mind with the emotionless expressions, but looking now it were as if they never held them at all. He was getting a sweet smile from Sakura, a huge joyful grin from Naruto, and a small smirk from Sasuke. Everything inside of his mind screamed for him to run—he did all but that unfortunately.

"We need your help on something Sensei." Sakura whispered looking around.

"Why would you need my assistance on something and not Kakashi's?" He questioned. He took note of Sakura's twitchy hands.

She pulled her hands to her chest as if trying to hide them. "Because we think he might be in danger." she answered after getting a quick blink from Sasuke.

A loud ring went off inside of his head but he pushed it aside as Sasuke spoke up softly. "Sakura, we can't speak about this here, we need to go somewhere where the walls won't hear us."

Gai controlled his reaction—they were being watched. He smiled a blinding grin and said: "NO WORRIES! I WILL BE GLAD TO ASSIST YOU WITH TRAINING!"

He watched as Naruto grinned—but that grin made him freeze. Silt pupils filled the blonde's eyes, Sakura licked her lips, and Sasuke gave a light shiver. Together they said: "Thank you Sensei."

He ran.

He didn't know if it was the blood-lust coming from the three preteens or the depressing sense of danger—either way he ran. He needed to warn Kakashi that there was something wrong with his team. No, it may be too late to inform Kakashi of this. Should he turn back and tell the Hokage?

 _"...somewhere where the walls won't hear us."_

No.

The Hokage knew.

Gai turned a sharp corner, only to run into Sasuke.

"...how?" he began to question, but it was cut off but a 'tsk-ing' sound.

Sasuke crossed his arms. "Don't you know it's bad to run from a conversation?" he questioned. "You never know what will happen."

Gai turned to run again, but was cut off by the other two members of his rival's team. In his mind he knew that if he were to run, he would loose, however in his mind he knew Kakashi was clueless of how the village worked. Deciding to buy himself time, he asked questions.

"Who are you?"

Naruto titled is head to the side. "We are team 7."

An automated response—should have expected that. Gai runs several ideas around in his head, before deciding to bluff. "It's not as if everyone in the village knows what you are."

He listened as Sasuke hummed softly, "Bluffing doesn't suit you Sensei."

They're sharper then he thought. "Why are you doing this?"

It was Sakura's turn to tilt her head. "Doing what? You're just helping us with training."

Gai looked around to see they were in the middle of the market place. Of course they wouldn't show their true colors here. He needed to get away, gathering the force he needed to jump, he propelled himself into the air. Running many theories throughout his mind as he tried to find his rival, Gai ducked from an oncoming kunai. His eyes widened in surprise as he turned his head to see Team 7 grinning.

"No fair Sensei! You cheated!" Naruto called out, pulling another kunai.

He watched as a few passerby's giggled—it looked like a simple team mission—but Gai new better. If he were to get captured, who knows what those three will do to him. Turning on his heel once more, he fled.

* * *

"Sensei! Where are you?!"

Gai peeked around a rotting tree. It was a sad reality really—running from a group of children. He quickly shook that thought from his mind, they weren't children. These were hand trained monsters by the Hokage himself. He watched as the three genin looked around for him—but why did they want him?

Did they knew that he knew?

His heart was thudding throughout his chest yet, he knew that this was only the end.

How did he know?

Hell, he didn't.

He knew that if he fought with all that he had, he still wouldn't be able to survive. Gai couldn't think of anything—his mind only drew blanks as he looked around. He knew he wouldn't be able to make it to his rival.

Should he send a summon to rely a message?

No, even he knew that it would be pointless. They would find the summon an dispel it before—

"Found you!"

Shit!

Gai barely dogged a stab to his upper thigh. He looked with wild eyes as Sakura grinned. Her hair was mussed from trees and mud—she looked nothing like earlier. Was this their true selves? He let out a loud yell as another stabbed him from behind. He jumped from another oncoming attack. He watched as Naruto let out a mock huff.

"Sensei, we won't be able to kill you if you keep dogging like that."

Gai shivered as he watched Naruto lick his blood from the blade. Wide eyes mocked him as he moved back, only to trip over a root. He snorted. Life was mocking him now—he rolled to the side to doge an attack from Sasuke, who had jumped out of a tree above him. Sadly, this wasn't his best decision he made as poison gas filled his lugs. Coughing and sputtering, he tried to blink past the burning sensation in his chest—that wasn't the case anymore as a foot stomped upon his chest. He coughed as he felt the cracking of his rib bones cut into his organs.

"So sad...Sensei—if only you minded your own business."

He couldn't tell which voice it belonged to as his eyes stilled above the tree canopy.

Ah, damn...what a dishonorable death.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **O.I.N.O**


	7. Sakura's POV 2

**Thanks for all the regular good stuffs.**

 **I wrote this at 3 in the morning so bear with me on any mistakes. The rating has been changed due to content later in the future and a reviewer pointing it out. Shout out to you!**

 **Also, I'm thinking of previewing the next chapters at the end of each chapter (since I update once a month or 2 months), so let me know if you want that or not...**

* * *

"...dismissed!"

She heaved a sigh as they stepped out of the Hokage's office. Why did things have to become like this? She couldn't face her teammates—let alone her own reflection. She could feel the heaviness of their situation as they walked slowly out of the Hokage Tower; their footsteps heavy across the dirt road. She couldn't see as her vision became blurry.

Was she about to cry?

No.

She shouldn't cry, and yet she did nothing to stop the first few drops from falling. Her teammates did nothing to help her—why should they? They were probably just as torn as she was. Every time they were so close, Danzo would tear it down. Right when they were a few steps ahead, he shifts the pieces and they have to start from scratch all over again. She didn't realize they had stopped in the middle of the forest until she heard a tree split with Naruto's frustrated cry and Sasuke's soft curses. They were never meant to be happy.

Closing her eyes, she fell to the ground wishing all the problems away only to remember what occurred a few hours ago.

 _"Inconsistent!"_

 _The three of them flinched as soon as they heard the shout echo through out the office. She tried her best not to, but the over powering KI made her. She kept her eyes level to the floor as footsteps paced in an angry manor. She dared not to speak—dared not to think—dared not to move. Her, Naruto's and Sasuke's very existence lied within these precious moments. She bit her tongue as she heard a fist make contact with a desk._

 _"What is the meaning of this?!"_

 _No one answered the Hokage's question until something flew past and smashed against the wall behind them. The sound of glass filled their ears and she saw Sasuke slowly lift his head from the corner of her bowed one._

 _"We refuse."_

 _She didn't have to flinch when she saw Sasuke's feet disappear from beside her only to hear a loud thud across the office. 'Idiot...' she thought, but it was quickly shot out of her head as her chin was snatched up to stare into the angry, uncovered eye of their Hokage._

 _"Do not make me repeat myself." Danzo seethed._

 _She swallowed loudly. "W-we do not think it would be of importance if Sen—Kakashi was killed." she stuttered out._

 _"And what, may I ask, made you decide this on your own?" Danzo tightened the grip on her chin tightened to where she could feel her own teeth cutting the insides of her cheeks. "Are my orders unclear?!" he spat._

 _"N-no sir they were crystal..." she winced out._

 _"Then why the hell is the Copy still alive?!"_

 _She couldn't help but grimace at the spittle that covered her face. What should she answer? Anything she will say would only upset the Hokage further. Silence filled the office as she tried to think of a logical excuse but it wasn't until Naruto spoke that she mentally sighed._

 _"We believe he will be good use to us in the future."_

 _She fell to the wooden floor in a heap as Danzo dropped her. She could taste iron in her mouth and finger prints on her face. That was good then—she was still alive, however, her heartbeat made her second guess it._

 _"What makes you say that?" came Danzo's sarcastic reply. She glanced over to Naruto who stayed standing with his head bowed, before looking at Sasuke who was still lying on the floor face down. It would only cause trouble if she went to help, so she lowly kept her gaze on Naruto and the Hokage. She silently hoped Naruto thought of something._

 _"Think about it, if we kill him now, what use would we have in you taking over the other nations." Naruto muttered. "I mean if you kill him, the only Copy Nin in the village, just imagine the chaos. If it were me, I would keep him—use him, brainwash him, into helping you obtain power. You already have us and others as loyal supporters...not only that, but think of how much easier it would be for you to eliminate enemies with a Copy."_

 _The office was silent as she held her breath. It was silent for a few more moments before she saw Danzo place a heavy hand on Naruto's shoulder, another moment passed before Naruto fell to the floor on his knees, mouth opened in a silent scream. Her heart reached out to help her teammate, but she couldn't move her body. She was immobile._

 _"I will_ not _take orders from some child!" Danzo all but spat at them. "You_ will _kill Kakashi and you will do so on my terms!" She watched as he glared at each of them. "I want him dead by the end of the new moon. Failure to do so, will die by my hands, understood?" None of them replied. "Get out of my sight, all of you are dismissed!"_

 _Not wanting to be told twice, she, Naruto, and Sasuke—who was apparently avoiding being targeted again by lying still—jumped up and left the office._

She opened her eyes to look over her two broken teammates. One was leaning heavily on a broken tree and the other was glaring at a flower as if it offended his existence. What a pity they were...but what were they to do? They killed two of their most trusting teachers, and now they have to kill a third? Does Danzo not wish for their happiness? Only his power? She turned her face into the grass, smelling the earth—what was life like before Danzo became Hokage? Were the previous ones just as obscure, or were they kind? Many questions ran throughout her mind, yet the smell of earth did nothing to answer them. What a shame...

"What should we do?" the hoarse voice of her pale teammate came from across her. She turned her head, noticing he plucked the flower. "Do we really have to kill Kakashi?"

"You heard Danzo...we must follow orders." Naruto replied, kicking over a broken tree limb.

"Why us? Why do we have to kill our own teacher? We've already killed one...not to mention the one that never belonged to us!" Sasuke shouted, violently tossing the flower aside.

"We've killed family and friends, what sense does it make to start giving a shit now?!" Naruto growled.

She watched on silently as her teammates shouted at each other. They were both right, and yet the confusion of following orders to her feelings made her even sadder. She plucked a few more blades of grass listening on to their debating argument.

"I'm giving a shit, because I'm tired of loosing the things that are important to me!" Sasuke hissed. "Who knows when he'll have us turn on each other!"

Naruto mocked a loud laugh. "That's bullshit Sasuke and you know it." She watched as Naruto crossed his arms. "You never cared once about the 'important things', hell you didn't even think twice after killing off the last of your family. Why the hell does it make a difference to you, eh?"

She switched her gaze to Sasuke before speaking up. "Is it wrong to change?" she asked. Both males turned to look at her—she plucked another blade of grass. "Is it wrong to want to start over?"

"Everything in this hell-forsaken village needs to change," Naruto gritted out. "but when's that gonna happen, Sakura? We have been pawns since birth, to change it now is to destroy a village that never existed in the first place."

"Naruto, everyone in the village are paws!" she shouted, finally deciding to sit up. She threw her small collection of grass blades at him. "We are no better than this grass! We're just sitting ducks who takes orders from the swans of the lake! None of us have a place for—" her words were cut off by a sharp stinging on the side of her cheek. She stared with wide eyes as Naruto glared down at her with red eyes.

"Do not speak about place when you, yourself don't have one." he seethed.

Forgetting her momentary shock, she glared hatefully at him. "If you say that, then you're no better than Danzo—after all, you're just as much of a pawn then Sasuke and me." Her face was jerked to the side as another slap burned her cheek. The cuts on the inside of her mouth reopened and the taste of iron coated her tongue once more.

"You know nothing." Naruto growled, before stomping off leaving her and Sasuke to the silent woods and their thoughts.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **O.I.N.O**


	8. Sasuke's POV 2

**Thanks for all the good stuffs the alerts and so on.**

 **I also got a PM asking if I could pair people. THIS IS A NON-PARING STORY. Pls people, read the genre before making comments. That's one of my pet peeves, just no. This is a mystery/horror/friendship/whatever else type of thing.**

* * *

He looked at the female member of their team. It was true—she knew nothing. Sakura only came to them after a year of being let into their temporary freedom and even then, everything was planted. He watched as she looked at the empty space that Naruto once occupied and sighed heavily. Nothing was ever simple for him was it? Walking over, he placed a hand on her shoulder...shocking her out her thoughts. Sakura looked at him with wide green eyes, before she slowly let out a whisper: "Just what happened to you two?"

He, himself, couldn't even answer the question. He watched as her eyes trailed to the spot where Naruto once was back to him, back to the spot. She moved slightly as she shifted his hand off her shoulder.

"I-I'm going home." she stuttered.

Scared.

Sakura was scared. He didn't respond as she quickly left him as well an he left out a huff of frustration. Nothing was ever simple for him—deciding not to follow after her, his feet slowly took him in the direction of the blonde haired teammate. Eyes drifting upwards, he recalled the time he met Naruto.

 _It was dark._

 _His breath was coming out in shallow pants as he tried to expand his senses like his brother taught him. It was hard with the small amount of energy left in his body—just where was he? Where was his family? Ugh! What was that smell?! He covered his mouth and nose to bite back a gag. It smelled rotten like decaying flesh! Holding his breath, he reached out—trying to get a feel for where he was. Nothing...was he in a void? Taking a small step, he moved his arms around frantically. He couldn't touch nor see anything. Was he even standing? Was he in a genjutsu? Taking another step, he tripped onto the ground, his face landing in a wet puddle. The smell was disgusting where he fell, but the bitter iron taste made his stomach turn; he emptied out the contents of his stomach._

 _Blood._

 _He fell into blood. He scrambled back with a loud cry. Everything on the ground was wet...wet with blood._

 _"...mom!" he shouted. He felt around trying to see in the darkness, pushing past the feeling of being in a pit surrounded by bodies. "...dad!" He shifted away from touching what felt like foot. "ANYONE!" Was there no one to hear him?_

 _"...shut up."_

 _He yelped at the random voice, trying to pinpoint its location. Heart beating fast, he swallowed and asked: "...Where am I?" There was no answer so he voiced the question once more._

 _"You're being annoying."_

 _It was coming from behind him—but it didn't answer his question. He voiced the question again hoping to keep the person talking._

 _"Ugh, you're a pain."_

 ** _Two._**

 _There were two voices? He tried introducing himself only to fail. He needed to keep the enemy talking—or at least that was what he was told in school._

 _"Yah, if you keep talking you're gonna get us in trouble."_

 ** _Three._**

 _Three voices. Two male and one female. "Just how many are there here?" he asked, feeling his confidence slowly return. Maybe he wasn't so alone in this after all._

 _"10...you make 11. There are 11 of us now...all we need is another female. That will make 12."_

 ** _Four._**

 _"Who has been here the longest?" He needed answers. Answers to questions that even he didn't have any clue to ask._

 _"That would be number 10-10. He's out right now—"_

 _It was voice number 1. Wait... "You're labeled by numbers?" He asked, shifting slightly only to jump away from another body. His stomach was turning again._

 _"We are based on our birth month and birth day." Voice number 3 answered. "For example, I am 09-23."_

 _"I am 09-22."_

 _"I'm 07-07."_

 _"and I am 01-23."_

 _He didn't understand. Didn't they have names? How about Clans? Then again, names and Clans were the least of his worries at the moment._

 _"When is your birth month and day?" 07-07 asked._

 _He swallowed. "...07...23..."_

 _"Nice to meet you 07-23, this is your new name until Master says so."_

"It's not nice to ignore someone beside you."

He blinked out of his thoughts to look at his blonde teammate who was sitting upon a tree branch. Naruto's hair blew softly in the wind, giving him a peaceful vibe—but he knew otherwise; if the eyes didn't give it away. He studied the features of his teammate—clear eyes that can see through everything, six scars on his face, skin that was immune to burns. This is what Danzo made. Then again, he was no better—they were freaks of nature. Loved and feared by all. He clenched his fist.

"Naruto..." he muttered.

"Hm?" the blonde teammate answered, looking above into the tree canopy.

"Just what is our purpose anymore? What was our purpose of becoming 10-10 and 07-23?"

For once, his teammate didn't have the answer.

* * *

There was meeting being called. He heard the signal late into the next morning and he turned over in the dirt. The silent sound of a dog whistle echoed throughout the village—only his and 10 others ears were trained for it. However the meeting was the least of his worries when Kakashi stopped his attack and looked around. Giving a quick shift of his eyes, Naruto picked up the motion as well. Sakura was the only one unable to figure out why training had stopped so suddenly. He could feel the question on her tongue, but she was unable to voice it. He watched as Naruto quickly shifted his foot.

 _Leave it._ Was the message. _It's being called for tonight._

Nodding his head, he threw his kunai at their teacher only to have it caught and spun around a finger several times. "Is something wrong Sensei?" he questioned in mock innocence. "Why'd you stop so suddenly?"

Kakashi shook his head in confusion. "I think someone is calling for their dog. There is a dog whistle that people blow when training their pets...only ninja with trained ears are able to hear it."

Naruto moved his head to the side in confusion. "You're trained in dog whistles?" The blonde scratched his head.

Kakashi shook his head before looking around again. "I train dogs."

 _"...I train dogs."_

His body froze and he looked towards Naruto with a pale face. He watched as the blonde's face slowly morphed from confusion, to horror, to a weird smirk. It took him a moment to realize that Naruto was happy. He didn't understand—why was Naruto happy?

"Ohhh, what kind of dogs?"

 _"...what kind of dogs?"_

Kakashi shrugged. "Mainly the ones who misbehave. I do have signed contract with a pack though."

 _"...the ones who doesn't listen."_

He shook his head. Were was this conversation coming from? He heard it before—but where?

Naruto walked up to Kakashi, leaving Sakura and her silent questions. "I don't understand a whistle though...why a whistle then a whip?" Naruto questioned.

It was then Kakashi froze and he understood why. This conversation was held during his first month of being 07-23. Kakashi was the one who trained them? He looked at the two males, one grinning in delight and the other holding his head in confusion. He watched as Naruto wrapped their teacher in a random hug. It was then when he knew the exact words that were coming up next.

 _"...it's okay, it's okay. You lie and say it's okay...but I would rather a whip, for you see, you can always put a top dog in it's place."_

He and Sakura watched as Kakashi fell to the ground screaming.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **O.I.N.O**


	9. Naruto's POV 2

**All the thanks in the world to my beta The God's Eye who helped me a ton with writing this chapter.**

 **Also, thanks for the reviews, allerts, favs and all that good stuff.**

 **MANSE everyone! This has hit 100 follows, like what even?! I was not expecting this!**

* * *

Carrying him was much harder then he thought. He shifted the body over his shoulder, silently spewing curses. If he was any normal boy, he would have fallen - crumbled beneath the weight; but he was obviously no normal boy. Why was base so far anyways? Danzo and his paranoia getting the best of him again. He would've eaten a bit of the man on top of him but he had his orders, direct from the head. Such a shame as well—he licked his lips, wondering what his 'mentor' tasted like. Would he taste like the last one? Tender all the way to the bone...sadly, he sighed.

 _"Bring Kakashi to me!"_ He remembered Danzo saying heatedly, _"he knows too much."_

He knows too much , he mocked silently in his head, it's not like he told him anything; or at least if Kakashi keeps his mouth shut then nobody will ever know. He once again shifted the larger man to displace the weight as he walked towards a dark twisting staircase he had just 'happened' to come across in the middle of the Konoha forest. Of course, anyone following him would be dead immediately. He thought upon it for a moment while looking down the secret entrance. Now that he thought about it, a lot of his meals growing up came from intruders. Not that it mattered anymore anyways, they were probably long forgotten by their families and anyone else who cared.

Shaking off his thoughts, he made his way down the stairs. Twisting and turning as Kakashi's feet slid behind them. He inwardly winced, waking up with raw toes and bone wasn't the most ideal...however if it betters his chance of getting a taste then he was all for it. Getting to the base of the stairs, he walked forward, forward - no lefts, no rights - forward till he reached a door.

Opening it up and stepping into an elevator, he hit the one and only button. From there, it carried him further and further away from the surface. No, chime, no squeaking cables, no elevator music, no nothing. He just stood in silence as they were carried down. Feeling the contraption stop, he let his teacher slide off his back. The sound of the Kakashi hitting the floor of the room that he had just entered echoed loudly and winced and took a quick glace around. A dark place with only one cliche light—not a spot of dust to be seen.

"Very good, I see he's unharmed," He knew Danzo was referring to bite wounds and not battle wounds, not that he could help it, "Put him in the memory chair," Doing so and strapping the older male in he turned to leave but Danzo held him back by saying, "Not yet, I want you to be present for this,"

That was weird Danzo never let any of them stay during these sky forsaken sessions but that was an order. Making a point in letting his silent sigh become herd, he sat on the stone floor, eyeing both men. The old man hobbled over to Kakashi and tightening his wrists and ankles to the chair. Then he placed a wired contraption on the white haired man's head, his forceful pushing woke obviously very very confused, Kakashi kept quiet intent on finding out the intentions of his captors. He looked on bored as Danzo paced back and forth in front of Kakashi.

Soon, Kakashi grew annoyed of the cloaked man in front of him, "Umm... hello,"

He watched as Kakashi convulsed and struggled in the chair. He knew what was happening...after all he was no stranger. You talk...pain from nowhere, you move too much...pain from nowhere, Danzo wanted it...pain from nowhere. The sadistic old man would crank it up every time the person got used to a level till the person was open to anything. He licked his lips, imagining the tender flesh slowly being roasted from the inside out. He wasn't a fan of cooked meat, but anything will do to keep his hunger at bay.

He noticed that Kakashi had figured the movement part out and was doing his best to keep still. Seeing that Kakashi had gotten used to level, Danzo cranked it up a notch. Kakashi coughed blood at the fifth level and everything stopped. The scent of blood hit his nose and his stomach howled before a thought crossed his he coughed blood, Danzo didn't do anything to stop the pain. Keeping it to himself, he stood and walked to unstrap Kakashi from the chair and laid him on the stone on the floor after getting a sharp look from Danzo

 _'On the floor'_ the silent order had been shouted between the two of them.

Keeping a careful eye upon the leader of the village, he backed away into a corner of the room like a spider. Why was he staring him down? What did he do? He shuffled as quickly as he could though his memories, yet nothing stood out to him...he decided to question it.

"What did I do?"

He noticed Kakashi was losing his grip on the reality in front of them—soon Danzo would have succeeded in suggesting different memories for the masked male. Still, he was sure Kakashi would keep quiet about what he had been taught. Although, something in the back of his mind told him it was a lie.

"What did you do? You are obstructing the rise of our village by investigating what you shouldn't know!" The old man growled. "I want nothing but the best for this village. Konoha will become the land of fire then the elemental nations and then it will be come the world!" All this was said with true emotion, Danzo might have been an old devil but he knew he thought he knew what was best for his beloved village. "As a child..."

He tuned out the rest of the rehearsed speech. He needed to escape. His punishment was coming soon he didn't want to be inside the small room when it did. He closed his eyes as he could feel invisible waves of betrayal coming from Kakashi's unconscious body. When he opened them, Danzo had wind chakra coating his cane was going in and out of different parts of his torso. It was upon striking his head, he let out a scream. Chakra sliced through his flesh, as it whipped back and forth. His skin was peeling in layers and nothing in that moment would ever be as bad. Thinking that thought too soon, he felt heat being directed towards him.

Shit. He thinks. He's getting ready to be burned.

Punishment...he wouldn't be punished unless Danzo thought he was teaching Kakashi. That would put Sakura and Sasuke in trouble, if Danzo's thoughts didn't match with actions. His world was filled with pain as Danzo threw him around the room in a brutal punishment session. He was numb...oh, so numb. He figured it was done once he heard his body echo against a stone wall—unfeeling to anything a final question filled his mind.

Why is he smirking?

He lost consciousness as Kakashi's smirk ingrained into his memory from a body that was just waking up from a long slumber.

* * *

"Naruto...Naruto can you hear me?"

He could feel the question running inside his mind. Who was that? Was that voice female? What was—gah! Moving isn't the best of options right then. His body was on fire—did he get hurt? Last he remembered he was with Sai running on towards an enemy base. Did they get attacked? Oh, no—Danzo will have a cow if he found out they were captured again.

"Naruto if you can hear me, open your eyes."

Okay, now that was just weird. These people knew him, but he couldn't recognize their voices. Was Captain playing another trick on him again? Skies forbid that happen—he would be tied to another pole upside down again! Then again, it got him out of cleaning duties so maybe it wasn't as bad as he made it out to be.

"Can you hear my voice, Naruto?"

Well duh, of course he could. It wasn't like he couldn't hear, if only he could open his eyes and call out the bastard of the Captain. Oh, but calling Captain bastard wouldn't go by well...he groaned.

"Sasuke! I think he's waking up!"

Sasuke? Who's Sasuke? Does the female voice mean Itachi's younger brother? He would like to spar with him some day. He shook his thoughts away, groaning at the quick flash of pain that surged throughout his body. Groaning once more, he slowly peeled his eyes open to see a white room bathed in a soft orange glow. He was in the hospital...great.

"Naruto, you're awake!"

His eyes quickly shifted to the two members in the room—one male the other female.. His body immobile as his instincts were set on the highest degree, a he tried to shift away from them. "W-who are y-you?"

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **O.I.N.O**


	10. Kakashi's POV 3

**I promise I didn't die.**

 **I still write, just no time to upload. Y'know...life and things.**

 **Thanks for the alerts and all that good stuffs, and also my beta The God's Eye. You're awesome!**

* * *

He looked around the strange room after Naruto passed out. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. After over hearing Danzo's and Naruto's conversation, he figured it would be best to play along until he got to the bottom of — whatever this was. He sat up slowly hold his head as he shifted his gaze towards his leader. Something was definitely off about this by light years and he was going to get to the bottom of it.

"What was that all about?" He gritted rubbing his head in a confused like manner. In actuality, he was confused. His head was throbbing from that stupid chair he was placed in and whatever jutsu Danzo used.

"Nothing you need to worry about. Just a bad vine that needed to plucked at its branches." Dazo sighed as if sad. "Naruto was a great boy, yes, indeed so! Tell me how you feel."

He stopped himself from blinking at the sudden randomness, but chose his words carefully. "Did you really have to put me through so much pain? I figured a bucket of ice water would have done the trick." he growled, rubbing his head once more. He felt soreness throughout his entire body. "Just what the hell happened?"

Danzo let out a huff. "It seems Naruto was a bit hungry and took a few nips at you, I don't think he actually broke skin this time."

He was grateful for his mask because he felt himself turn a few shades lighter. "He tried to eat me?" his voice was on the slightly high end.

Danzo let out a loud laugh before giving the other man a smirk. "Can you blame him?"

For some reason, his stomach lurched at the question. Standing up slowly, he kept an eye on the elder. "I would blame him if he did." he growled out, unsure how to respond.

Danzo sighed. "Kakashi, my boy...come here." Every sense in his body told him 'no' but he couldn't refuse as he was playing this... this person he was unfamiliar with. He inwardly cringed as Danzo wrapped him into a light hug, whispering in his ear. "I've missed you..."

Bile rose high as he felt an unwanted nudging at his thigh, yet as the flickering light above him went out he did nothing. He couldn't blow his cover just yet; so with a sour taste in his mouth and as fingers threaded though dark locks, he pulled down his mask and replied:  
"I've missed you too."

* * *

"Sensei!"

"Kakashi!"

"Who is that guy?"

After weeks and weeks of not seeing his team, he turned to face the voices that ran towards him. Missing the bright colors and energy that left him drained for nights, he smiled even though it wasn't visible due to his mask. "Naruto, Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan... how are you?"

"Where have you been?!" the pink-haired member shouted all too loud for his ears.

He winced at the ringing in his ears. "I was out on a... mission..." he hesitated. Could it be called a mission? Lying in bed with one of the most dangerous man in the village? He shivered at the thought, forcing the bile back down his throat.

He watched as Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "We weren't told you had one..."

"Not everything is about you Sasuke-kun." he tsk-ed chuckling at the younger's frustration.

"That's not what's important right now..." Sakura decided to speak out after a moment. "Naruto has lost his memories and we don't know what to do."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Is this a prank?" Both of the members shook their heads. He watched as the blonde member turned to meet his gaze. Tanned skin and blue eyes shone without the harshness towards him nor the underlying evilness that he had come to know. Something wasn't right and he knew it. Taking a few steps towards Naruto, he eyed the young member. "Naruto."

"Yeah? Who're you?" Naruto shot back.

This was a problem. A major one. He rubbed his chin in thought as Sasuke and Sakura watched him from behind. "I'm your sensei, Naruto." he stated as if it wasn't already known.

He watched as Naruto scratched his head. "uh...yeah. I gathered that much."

He mentally smacked himself. Naruto wasn't a child; he knew when to observe when it was needed. "I thought you remembered my name." he edged, huffing out a pity sigh. "And after that promise that we made, I guess I can keep my years' worth of ramen." He watched as Sakura shoot Sasuke a side glance, but the latter only shrugged.

"What?!" Naruto shouted all too loud for their ears, before turning to his teammates. "Why wasn't I told about this?!"

The answer was simple; he and Naruto never made a promise. He waved a hand across while shaking his head. "Sorry Naruto, but if you don't remember then it doesn't apply to the situation."

Naruto stomped his foot onto the ground in a childish manner. "That's bullshit!" he shouted. "If shouldn't matter if I don't remember or not."

"Well, in this situation it applies." He muttered before turning to the other two members. They were having a conversation on their own while he argued with Naruto.

 _Do you think Danzo has something to do with this?_ He caught Sakura asking Sasuke.

The latter shook his head. _If he did, don't you think we would be involved as well?_

 _That doesn't mean he wouldn't be coming after us next._

 _Even if he did, what would we do Sakura? You know he's just as powerful as any ninja in this village, do you really think we're capable of taking him down?_

He saw Sakura sigh heavily. _I know…_

 _I'm starting to wonder what's really going on._

 _What do you mean?_

He watched as Sasuke crossed his arms and furrowed his eyebrows in thought. _I mean think about it. Danzo is the leader of the village correct?_

Sakura blinked. _Correct._

 _Don't you find it weird that he has an small army of kids, with weird methods of getting rid of people who suspect him?_

 _What do you mean?_

He watched on as Sasuke glared in irritation at the female member. _Don't you think he's planning something suspicious?_

Sakura huffed angrily. _Of course, I know that dumbass! I'm trying to figure out your point! Speak properly!_

Sasuke clicked his tongue in a frustrated gesture. _I mean, Danzo is—_

"Soooo, are we gonna train or what?" Three pairs of eyes turned to the blonde member of the team who was drawing patterns in the sand with a stick. "I mean it's great that you're glaring at each other and all, but I'm bored."

He sighed. "Naruto, there's a thing you need to learn."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "One thing, you don't tell me what to do, and another thing… what can I learn?"

He bit his lip to keep from hitting the younger male in front of him. He may have his memories erased, but that didn't mean he was less of an asshole. Bending over, he placed a hand on the small shoulder. Right after that action, he snatched his hand back and looked at the blonde bewildered. An un-hidden arura surrounded him as he looked at the blonde with wide eyes.

"What's wrong, sensei?" Naruto asked, he noticed the small twitch in the blonde's mouth. "You act like you got shot."

Quickly shaking off the feeling, he shook his hand. "Just killed a bug." He answered, eyeing Naruto.

"I could've got it." Naruto huffed out crossing his arms.

Keeping an eye on Naruto he clapped his hands before looking at the other two as well. "I want you all to try to walk on water."

He looked as Sakura tilted her head. "But we already know how to do that." She said and Sasuke nodded his head in agreement.  
He sighed. "Not the way I want you to, now let's go to a lake."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **O.I.N.O**


	11. Story BREAK! Iruka's POV

**Yes, it's that time again. A story break. Forgive any mistakes.**

 **Thanks for all the usual stuff. It's routine by now.**

* * *

No words were said, but Iruka knew there was something not right about this year's children he taught. Out the class of 30 he had to teach, 9 of them were different. He has been in the ninja profession for more than half of his life and has been teaching for 4 of those years, so to discover 9 kids who didn't blend well—something was off. Each time something was said or a pen was tapped he struggled to decode their hidden messages. He knew Hinata wasn't as sweet and innocent as she seemed. Hell, when he talked about covering the tracks left after running, he remembered the small smile she had given. Not to mention the small chuckle Chouji had let out while he said 'hiding'. He could remember clearly how Ino asked about how to properly dispose of bodies, and no, the answer wasn't bur them to a crisp.

Yeah, something wasn't right.

He remembered one day after class, he called the 9 to stay after to do some detention but it was far from that. He knew how quickly they caught on to him observing every one of them...

 _"Now, I want all of you to sit here and think about your actions that got you into this position." He lectured, looking at each of them into their eyes._

 _"But that was all Naruto's fault!" Shino stressed. "Why do we have to pay for his actions?"_

 _"Because you all are a team..for some odd reason." He muttered. "Therefore, you all have to take responsibility. I want all of you to sit here and not speak until I'm done with paper work." He could hear and feel the groans from each of them as he shook his head and walked to the desk. Grabbing one paper he set to work while keeping a close watch of them out of the corner of his eye. It didn't take long before the first **-tap-** filled the room. He grabbed another piece of paper to record the actions. _

1.)Naruto taps.

2.)Sakura hair flips.

3.)Sasuke blinks.

4.)Hinata fingers.

5.)Kiba with Akamaru's ears.

6.)Shino with a push of his glasses.

7.)Chouji with a too loud crunch of his chips.

8.)Shikamaru eye rolls.

9.)Ino taps with her feet.

 _Iruka noticed something. Each time they **-tapped-** , the pattern changes…almost conversation like…_

 _His heart almost jumped out of his chest when all of them turned to stare at them with a dead soulless stare. He could feel his palms sweating as he grabbed a new paper to take notes. He glanced up fully and they each looked like bored pre-teens with nothing to do._

 _Was he imaging it? Was he crazy? Was it because of lack of sleep? He went back to the paper and the taping went on. After grading another student's paper, he slammed his pen down to begin to shout, but he jumped back when Naruto was suddenly in front of him. His palms began to sweat, as Naruto looked at his papers then at him seriously before breaking out into full blown smile._

 _"When can we leave sensei?" he questioned._

 _Iruka swallowed hard before grabbing another paper. "After I'm done grading these." He motioned to the stack of class papers he had to grade for the day._

 _He saw Naruto huff out a sigh before Hinata loudly tapped her finger too hard on the desk. He suppressed a shiver as Naruto smiled. "If we apologize, can we leave early?"_

 _Swallowing hard once more, Irkua kept his ground. "I said_ no _Naruto and that's it." He looked back at the paper after he stressed the word. He needed to distract himself so he could stop the quaking in his hand, as he scribbled corrections._

 _"That's too bad sensei." Naruto growled, and Iruka's snapped his head up at a sudden urge to protect himself came up, but it saw gone in a flash._

 _The shaking in his hand persisted and Naruto smiled, before heading back to his seat. Iruka looked over each one of the 9 that filled the room and cold emotionless stares watched him. Stammering out a 'you are dismissed', after ll of his senses were scremin to run. Iruka saw as Naruto leaned back in his seat, the smiled still planted on his face._

" _That's fine, sensei." Shikamaru stated, leaning forward to place his head upon his desk. A smirk carved its way up to his face. "We'll wait. After all, that's what we're best at."_

* * *

Looking back at it now, Iruka should've known there was something else hidden behind the message. Behind all the messages in fact.

Looking at the sky above him, somehow Iruka knew it was coming. He went on a long walk to clear his thoughts earlier.

What a beautiful day it was.

He stopped by his favorite shop to eat a bowl of ramen, then went to his parents' grave and even smiled at the Hokage's faces carved into the mountain. Had he done right all his life? Was his life complete? He knew that today was the day he would be confronted with all of his suspicion about the 9 he taught. He felt his vision dimming slowly as he saw the sad blood-filled smile of Naruto and his teammates from his organs and flesh. Was that inside of him? Iruka never thought of the day he would be on his death bed, looking at his organs being consumed by this former pupils.

He thought: _where did I go wrong?_

While his eyes slowly slipped closed, he saw the tear streaked face of Sakura, the pained expression of Sasuke and the mouthed "I'm sorry sensei." From Naruto.

Iruka smiled **.** _Well…at least...it..._

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **O.I.N.O**


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